I like being older.  Sure, there are times I miss some of the parts of being younger.  That joyful optimism I felt when I was really young, the excited anticipation when thinking about and looking into the future and all the possibilities it held.  A younger body.  The physical strength that was part of being young, with all the energy and endurance that went along with that.  But the benefits of being older are also many, and I value them so much.

Enjoying all the wonderful things that are part of my life in this chapter.  Appreciating where I am now, what has evolved in what I know and believe and experience and how I live my life.  The accumulation of all I have learned over the course of my life.  Being able to look back over my timeline and the different chapters, and understanding I would not be able to be where I am now without going through those chapters and experiences earlier in my life.  The peace and joy I now experience each day, in a way I never had before.  

I think about all this a lot.  And they are good thoughts.

I am old

but light still shines on me

and around me

and in me

  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I am getting old.

Aging, in the later chapter of life.

And I have experienced 

a spiritual deepening.

An inner awakening, 

an openness to stillness, 

awareness of the moments.

Finding the beauty of 

and feeling appreciation for

all that is within 

the transient, impermanent moments.

My axis has changed and I am changed for it.

I asked my friend, “Do you think

all of this is because 

I am getting ready to die?”

“No”, she said.

“It sounds like you are

getting ready to live.”

I hope you are able to appreciate where you are in your life today!